Flaminio SquazzoniDepartment of Economics & Management, University of Brescia, Italy

Anson W. MackayDepartment of Geography, University College London, London, United Kingdom

Christopher R. MadanSchool of Psychology; University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom

David M. ShawInstitute for Biomedical Ethics; University of Basel, Basel; Switzerland

Sabina AlamTaylor and Francis Group, UK

Bahar MehmaniSTM Journals, Elsevier, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Daniel GraziotinInstitute of Software Technology, University of Stuttgart, Germany

Duncan NicholasDN Journal Publishing Services, United Kingdom

Abstract

No formal investigations have been conducted into the efficacy or potential influence of reviewer recommendations on editorial decisions, and the impact of this on the expectations and behaviour of authors, reviewers and journal editors. This article addresses key questions about this critical aspect of the peer review submission process. We suggest several future steps which could be taken towards improving the review process and make it more transparent, better understood, and fairer for all parties.